Follow Mary's journey from her
first quilt to a passion that includes studying quilt history, antique
quilt collecting, pattern swapping, and correspondence with pen
pals around the country. Mary is one of a unique group of women
who kept quilt studies alive after World War II and before the 1970s
bicentennial revival of interest in quilts. Through Mary's letters
and ephemera we'll meet noted quilt scholars like Florence Peto
and Cuesta Benberry. Mary's special friendships with Betty Harriman
and Gwen Marston are also highlighted.

Curator Mary Worrall with Mary Schafer
Photo by Pearl Yee Wong

Mary Schafer quietly passed away
on Friday morning, December 22, 2006. Mary was a lifetime member
of the Genesee Star Quilters (Flint area). Mary’s many honors
include resolutions from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, former
Gov. John Engler, former Flint Mayor Woodrow Stanley and the Genesee
County Board of Commissioners. Crossroads Village held a day in
her honor in 1995 and she was given a Michigan
Heritage Award in 2002.

On July 19-22, 2007 Mary Schafer will be inducted in the Quilter's
Hall of Fame. The Quilters Hall of Fame recognizes the importance
of Mary's early participation in the quilt pattern round robins
of the 1960s and her extensive involvement in achieving historical
accuracy in research materials.